TEDTalks Releases Interactive Chart for 1-Billion-View Milestone

Since TED released the first six TEDTalks videos on iTunes back in June 2006, it has gone on to become an inspirational internet sensation by packing brilliant ideas into videos that appeal to a fast-paced audience. With thousands of TEDTalks available for free on multiple platforms besides TED.com — including YouTube, Netflix, NPR and now Youku — it has become a franchise of innovative and groundbreaking ideas that are accessible everywhere. TED Talks have been so ingrained in internet culture that even The Onion has spoofed it with “The Onion Talks.”

Yesterday, TEDTalks reached a milestone in achieving more than one billion views through its various platforms.

In a blog post celebrating this achievement, they wrote: “Our most recent metrics show that TED Talks are being viewed at a rate of 1.5 million times a day — which means that a new viewing commences 17 times a second. We in the TED office cannot thank you enough for helping us reach this milestone of 1,000,000,000 views — nine wonderful zeroes.”

In turn, the guys at TEDTalks created an interactive chart documenting 25 great “TEDTalk milestones” since they made their online debut back in 2006. As you can see in this chart, the TEDTalk videos have made steady gains towards 1 billion views in the first five years, reaching the half-a-billion mark in the summer of 2011. However, it has made rapid gains in viewership in the past year thanks to some viral TEDTalks videos, its premiere on Netflix and Youku, and its Android app.

How long will it take for TEDTalks to reach its next billion views? Tell us below.